Unless you count the brief period when I was a grill cook way back when, I have never spent time in a restaurant kitchen. But Michael Gibney has spent a lot of his time in kitchens since his late teens and earned his way to sous chef. He also has a bachelor's in fine arts from Pratt Institute and a master's in fine arts for nonfiction writing from Columbia. Overachiever! But that means he's an accomplished chef and an accomplished writer and that makes a huge difference in this page-turning visit to a kitchen. We follow the sous chef from early morning to late at night as everything that happens in the kitchen (including among the staff) is driven toward the serving period.